Here we learn what causes the different colors in the aurora borealis (northern lights) and the aurora australis (southern lights). The color of the light depends on the energy released by the atom or molecule. The energy that gets absorbed and the color of light released is a characteristic of that atom.
For example, molecule nitrogen (N 2) releases blue to violet light, while atomic oxygen releases red or green light, depending on the energy it absorbs. Colors of the Aurora. The color of an aurora depends on the type of gas that is hit and where that gas is located in the atmosphere.
Oxygen excited to different energy levels can produce green and red. Green occurs roughly between 60 to 120 miles (100-200 km) altitude, and red occurs above 120 miles (200 km). The observations of the colors of the aurora, either in a broader sense by looking at the overall color balance, or by detailed spectroscopic methods, can teach us much about the physical processes that cause aurora and the effects that aurora has on the upper atmosphere.
The bright pink fringe on the lower edge of the aurora occurs when electrons strike nitrogen in the atmosphere. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, University of Calgary, Astronomy North) The northern lights most often occur at altitudes of 100 to 300 km in the atmosphere, but can sometimes occur at altitudes of up to 600 km from the ground. The northern and southern lights, auroras visible from the poles, glow with a range of different colored lights.
Here's the reason for each of those colors. Learn why aurora colors glow green and red, how ionized particles collide with atmosphere layers, the physics of green aurora, and the science behind red aurora. If you saw the aurora, or any of the photos, you might be wondering what exactly was going on.
What makes the glow, and the different colours? The northern lights can be green, red, pink, blue or purple. Here we look at the cause and meaning behind all the different aurora colours.
The shifting face of Earth's light show is miraculous. A guide to the science of the aurora why it appears in different shapes and colours.